Fighting Oppression
by LittleMissDementorsKiss
Summary: Merlin's sister Alaïs has served princesses Ela and Dettie for over ten years. When their kingdom is burned, the three are the only survivors. After making their way to Camelot, she must hide the cherrished gifts she and Merlin share for the first time.
1. Chapter I

I walked with staggered steps to a guard dressed in the colors and bearing the crest of Camelot. Bernadette had been sleeping in my arms for about a half an hour and, even though she was tiny for her age, she was heavy. I didn't know how much longer I could take this without dropping her, especially since I had her older sister to deal with as well. Eladrine was the same age as my brother, but somehow managed to get into more trouble than he did.

"Pardon, sir, but do you know where I could find Gaius, the physician?" Mother had said that he was there, so that was where I'd look. And if he wasn't, Mother still trusted him. I figured I could get in some much needed rest as I waited.

The guard gave his answer in a complex series of nodding, pointing, and useless sounds. Somehow, I managed to glean his meaning and followed his directions.

I risked my balance as I shifted Bernadette to be supported with only one arm. I needed the other to knock on the door.

An old man answered. He was small, and his hair was white, and it reached his shoulders. It was pretty much the description that Mother had given me. This was Gaius.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Hello." I said. "Is Merlin here?"

He soundlessly stepped aside and gestured that I should come in. I slowly made a few steps through the door and looked around. Merlin was nowhere to be seen.

"He's at work." Gaius said from behind me.

"Why didn't you tell me that?" I asked. No matter how much Mother trusted this man, it didn't hurt to be careful

He only shrugged. "You look like you could use some sleep."

I felt relief at that. "I could, thank you. I should probably introduce myself first, though. My name is Alaïs. I'm Merlin's sister."

Gaius' eyes quickly flicked from the twenty-two year old me, to the seven year old Bernadette, to the twenty year old Eladrine and back again.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly to my feet. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten my charges, the two girls I'd looked after for ten years and recently saved from death.

"Ela." Eladrine said in her soft, young-sounding voice "I'm Ela, heir to the throne of Aldirret. That is my sister, Dettie. Alaïs is our servant. Last week she saved us from a fire. We've been traveling here to meet her brother for days now, and we'd me much obliged if you could give us a place to rest undisturbed for just a small while until Merlin comes back."

For a princess, Ela was sure good at introducing herself by herself. She was always good at getting what she wanted too, and right now she wanted to sleep. It wouldn't be long until that happened, and I couldn't wait. Gaius directed us to Merlin's room, which contained a bed (if I knew my brother at all, it was Gaius that made him keep it made up neatly) that I allotted to the royal sisters and a chair which I claimed to be my own place of resting.

"Alaïs?" Bernadette said sleepily. Of course, she who tired me out by sleeping on the way here would also be she who kept me up by waking once we arrived.

"Yes, Dettie?" I replied, trying to keep my exhaustion from showing through my voice.

"What does your brother do for work? You never told us."

"He works for Gaius. I imagine he's out gathering medical herbs and things. He'll be back soon. I suggest you let your sister and I sleep while we wait." I said, trying very hard not to sound terse.

"Oh." Dettie said. I yawned and she got the hint, shutting up so I could at least let my body rest if not my mind.


	2. Chapter II

There wasn't much time at all, so I was glad that Dettie was relatively well-behaved for most of it. It couldn't have been more than a half an hour until Merlin's voice made its way to my ears.

"He's such a prat, Gaius." He said in his 'I'm trying not to show how angry I really am' voice, nudging me from half-conscious to fully-conscious and full on waking Ela.

"Merlin" Gaius tried to interrupt.

"I know he's the prince, Gaius. I know I've gotten in more than enough trouble by saying things like this, but their true. He almost bludgeoned me to death today."

"More than at a normal practice?" Gaius asked doubtfully.

"Yes! And he didn't even utter one word of apology! How very like him, the stuck-up, big headed, insane… prat!"

"Merlin." Gaius attempted again.

"What?" He finally relented, willing to let Gaius say whatever he needed to say.

"Merlin, you have company."

My brother stopped doing whatever he was doing that was causing such a clatter and hesitantly asked who.

"Three girls. They're in your room."

His footsteps quickly neared and, after two quick knocks and no reply, the door swung open. I made sure to be the first person he saw. When he did, he froze and let out a quick gasp of surprise.

"Alaïs!" He shouted and ran in. He hugged me tightly and spun me in a circle before putting me down.

"You seem happy to see me." I noted.

"It's been forever, sister." He said, smiling. Then his face turned to overcast fear. "Why are you here. Is Mother O.K?"

"Mother is fine. It's a long story. I think you better sit down."

As he moved to the bed, he seemed to notice the other two girls in the room for the first time. They each nodded their heads at him in greeting as he walked by to sit.

"What's wrong?" He finally said.

"You know, of course, that I left for Aldirret to care for the two princesses there?" I began

Merlin nodded.

"These are them. Ela and Dettie." I gestured to each in turn. "At the beginning of this week, bandits came into the kingdom and set fire to all of the buildings. I managed to pull Ela and Dettie through the gates and into the woods before they could perish, but I'm afraid there were no other survivors."

"Why didn't you use magic?" Merlin asked. We had both been born with magic.

"To extinguish the whole of Aldirret, Merlin? And I was under pressure. That's a lot to ask of someone who hasn't had any formal training."

"Who needs formal training when you've got twenty-two years of unrestricted practice." Merlin practically yelled. I had no idea why he was so angry with me, but was it… jealousy I detected in his tone? Why would that be?"

"Merlin…" I began.

"Alaïs, listen to me. You've been holed up in Aldirret, so I understand why you wouldn't know the extent of the issue, but everyone knows that magic is illegal in Camelot. Alaïs, it's punishable by death."

I gasped. "Truly?"

"Yes, truly. Aldirret is a safe haven for sorcerers, even more so than druid villages since no one wants to pick a fight with such a well-armed kingdom. You've been able to use your magic without fear of execution. I, on the other hand, have had to use it secretively. Do you have any idea how hard that is for me?"

"No, Merlin. I don't." I said quietly.

"No, you don't. Why did you come here. Why not go back home?"

"I have the heir to the throne of Aldirret with me. I'm not going to take her to live with me, to farm, to eat next to nothing everyday because everything else is taken for taxes. I thought that since you worked for Gaius, who in turn works directly for King Uther, you may be able to ask a favor. Maybe you could get us assistance or something."

"I don't work for Gaius anymore." Merlin said.

"What? Why?"

"Because I work for Arthur."

"That's even better!" I said. This way he was sure to get us help.

"You and I have very different views on 'better', dear sister." He said, but he smiled. We were getting somewhere.


	3. Chapter III

Yo and much thanks to all who reviewed this work. Be prepared for the frequency of updates to decline as time progresses. I promise on the graves of everyone who died in HPatDH that as long as everyone is willing for me to continue I shall.  
>This "chapter" will be much, much shorter than the rest of them since, as the guidelines request, I am not to write chapters completely made of Author's Notes. So I shall begin with one more Note and we'll get about an inch closer to the end. Sorry if this seems to be teasing. I'm not leaving you hanging, I'm just keeping you in suspense.<p>

I'm getting stuck. I had this all planned put in my head, but given my horrible habit of NOT writing down what I have planned out in my head, it's been forgotten. I would really uberappreciate guidance. I know you don't know much yet, but even help with who should speak to our beloved Arty about the circumstances and how he or she should go about doing so would be helpful.

And now, your feature presentation:

Merlin peered through the curtains at the thin crescent hanging in the dark sky. It was late. I'd barely rested, so my sleep-deprived self was yawning every two seconds. We all knew it was time to sleep, it was the execution of that plan that was the source of trouble.

The main question: who was going to sleep where. Merlin offered to sleep on the floor outside his door and let us have the bed, but that bed would barely fit Ela and Dettie. I offered to sleep on the floor beside Merlin, but that was rejected by Merlin. He thought it was a bad idea to leave the two alone. They both protested that if we were to be just on the other side of the door, it wouldn't matter. Eventually we just gave up and just stayed where we were. Merlin sank to the floor at the foot of his bed. Ela, kind soul that she is, tossed him a pillow. He offered to share the pillow with me, so I did. Ela and Dettie had blankets to keep them warm and Merlin and I had a thin linen sheet and each other. It wasn't nearly as comfort_able_ an arrangement as the girls had, but it was comfort_ing_ all the same. I didn't even need to sing to Dettie for her to fall into deep slumber. Ela soon followed, then Merlin and I. I couldn't tell if it was him or me that slept first, but it didn't matter. I slept a dreamless sleep, knowing that tomorrow would save us from poverty.


	4. Chapter IV

As if nothing was different, I woke up to Dettie shaking my shoulders and complaining of hunger. Ela was sitting in the chair that I'd napped in the day before. Her hair formed a tangled halo of gold atop her head, so much lighter than Dettie's brown locks but just as gorgeous. Merlin was nowhere in sight.

Two quick knocks on the door announced his presence moments before he walked in. A pile of folded fabric was in his arms.

"Good morning. I guessed at your sizes and had my friend Gwen get you some new clothes. Dettie's will be a bit big, sorry. There's not many choices on hand for someone that small." He dropped the clothes on the bed. "I have to run. I don't want to be late for his royal highness." His voice conveyed distaste for the title. I wondered what that was about before recalling the previous night's conversation. From the description Merlin had unknowingly given me, I assumed he was annoying and rude, but not mean.

"Merlin, can you come fetch me before you speak to Prince Arthur? I'd like to be there."

"I'll see what I can do." He promised "It'll most likely be after lunch, so go explore this morning. Be careful and stay inside the walls of Camelot." I giggled internally about my younger brother acting like the father he never knew.

I nodded. He hugged me tightly before making his short way back to the door. When his hand was on the knob, be turned back around. "And Alaïs." He said. "No magic."

"None?" I questioned, suddenly disheartened.

"None." He said sternly. "Not until I'm there. You may be older than me, but trust me on this."

"Fine." I relented. "Now leave so we can dress." I made a motion that he should turn around and shooed him out of the room."

"Yes, Mum." He joked, putting up his hands in surrender as he walked (was pushed) through the door.

"Thank you." I called after him

"Yeah, yeah." He replied dismissively.

I separated the dresses from each other. It was easy to see that Merlin didn't mention the royal status of two of his guests since the clothes were all equally threadbare, dull and almost as rough as a potato sack. Still, it was better than the torn, semi-burnt garb we had been wearing for the past five days.

I handed Ela the hairbrush that had been resting on the pile and let her brush her hair as I dressed Dettie. Once I was done with that, I plopped Dettie on the bed in front of Ela as I undressed and dressed her. She got the hint, and while I was lacing up the back of the dress she brushed her sisters tangled curls. They sat and waited patiently as I hurriedly prepared myself for the day, I was still running the brush through my own raven black hair as we stepped single file out of the bedroom. Gaius was hunched over a book, reading so intently he didn't see us leave.

I followed the directions I'd been given the day before in reverse, telling Dettie to remember this route since she'd been asleep the only other time we'd taken it. She nodded and stared determinedly ahead so she could commit every step to her memory.

The courtyard was crowded, so as soon as I felt the sun on my face I scooped Dettie up into my arms and had Ela grasp my elbow. She was probably old enough to stay by my side on her own, but I wasn't about to risk it. It would be awful to wander through the woods for days, protecting the girls from all sorts of vile wood-dwelling creatures (animal and man alike), just to lose them after reaching our destination.

We walked around, bought some food a small piece of the gold I'd managed to grasp before leaving Aldirret, and had a quite ample late breakfast as we walked. It was nice outside, nothing to suggest we'd been fleeing for our lives less than a week ago.

As the sun reached its midday height, I started leading the girls back up to my brothers room. I was not going to miss my opportunity. It was only after I reached the room that I realized I had used magic that day. I thought it through. Just a small bit to help with Dettie's weight. Something imperceptible to anyone but the sorcerer. Nobody could have seen the spell… unless they saw my eyes, of course. I removed that thought from my head. That was beyond unlikely given the crowded state of Camelot that morning. I'd just have to be more careful from then on.

All three of us sat and waited for my brothers return


	5. Chapter V

This one is a bit longer, and it seems to me to end very abruptly. Sorry about that.

And now, ladies and/or gentlemen, I present to you Chapter V. Enjoy!

I was sitting on a chair watching Gaius work. Ela entertained Dettie. She seemed to know how much I had on my plate. Even before we had to leave Aldirret, she'd give me time to sit and rest my eyes. Sometime's she'd even prepare herself and Dettie for bed and send me home early, God bless her.

My brother stuck his head through the doorway. "Come on, Alaïs, I got you your audience. It'll be unofficial for now, though. I told Arthur the gist of your situation. You can tell the rest, then he'll decide what should be done.'

I glanced back at Ela, who gave me a nod. I took that to mean she had everything under control and left.

"Arthur," Merlin said as he entered the room. "My sister is here."

I followed timidly behind him, keeping my eyes to the ground. I was in the presence of the prince of the century, and I felt nothing. Just the annoyance at having to relive my story for the who-knows-how-many-eth time.

"Tell him what happened, Alaïs." Merlin probed.

"I was braiding Ela's hair." I began

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"How is that?" I asked. Ela looked into the vanity mirror. It was the eightieth time I'd unbraided and rebraided it. Usually, Ela wouldn't care, but this time she and her mother were going out for some reason or another.

"I suppose that'll do." She said.

"My turn!" Dettie exclaimed and ran up to me. She tugged on my skirts. Dettie wasn't to be joining her mother and sister, but she loved having her hair done.

I had picked her up and placed her in the chair Ela had just moments before been sitting in when I heard the scream.

It was a high pitched scream followed by a deeper cry of emotional agony. It wasn't nearly enough for me to recognize the voices, but Ela could. She ran, I had no idea how fast she could run. I could barely keep up. Somehow, we both managed to reach the scene at the same time. The King and Queen of Aldirret had been murdered. I didn't see a culprit, but that much was clear. Ela bent over her mother's body and cradled it in her arms. I could hear her sobs. I stood there, glued to the spot, flabbergasted. How could this happen?

"Go!" Cried Ela. "Go get Dettie. Tell her Mum and Dad need us to leave. Don't bring her here! I'll explain it to her myself." Ela bent back over her mother. With all her running, her hair had come undone. It was reduced to a few folds tied by a ribbon. The rest formed a curtain around her and her mother. I couldn't see her face, but I knew it had to be construed in agony.

I ran to get Dettie. As I ran in, she stared. She had known something was wrong, of course, but didn't realize the extent until I started shoving things into my bag and flinging it over my shoulder.

"Come here, Dettie." I said. She wouldn't – or couldn't – move. I resorted to running up to her, flinging _her_ over my bag which was over my shoulder, and running. When she calmed down enough, I explained to her as much of the situation that I could. With Their majesties dead, Ela was in charge, so I couldn't say anything about their parents. I told her that her mum and dad needed us to leave and that we were going to see my brother. I knew that Ela was in no sane state of mind, so I began to formulate a plan. Neither of the girls would be able to function independently for a long while. I remember how it was for me when my father left, and I still had my mother.

So ran to the edge of the city, practically threw Dettie out into the woods, and ran back to get Ela. By the time I got back, I began to notice orange flames descending the stairs. I had to grab Ela's elbow and yank her away from her mother's body, but I ran her out of Aldirret as well. I turned back to try and save anyone else, but the flames had moved so fast. I'd never seen anything like it. The killers must have used magic or something.

We ran into the woods and made our way here. I hoped that Merlin could get us some help.

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I finished my story and noticed Merlin giving me a look. I shot him one back that I hoped portrayed an unsaid 'What are you staring at me like that for'. He waved away my look as if saying 'later'. I let it go, and looked up at the prince for the first time. His brow was wrinkled.

"I always knew Aldirret was asking for trouble, allowing magic to run rampant like that. I'll speak to my father, don't you worry. We'll get you and the princesses – Ela and Dettie, was it – a room to stay in. If you need one as well, I'll try to find you one near your brother. I promise we'll get this taken care of.

He left Merlin and I standing in the room by ourselves. I looked to Merlin, waiting for an explanation of what I'd done wrong to earn that look. He just glared at me without saying anything.

Why was he being so moody?


	6. Chapter VI

"Arthur is my only hope at getting magic back into Camelot" Merlin said to me. He wasn't yelling, but I could tell he wanted to.

We had gotten a room for Ela and Dettie down the hall from Gaius' workplace and Merlin's bedroom. Merlin and I decided that, to keep things amiable, we wouldn't ask for more than that. I'd sleep in the same room as my brother. It was in that room that this argument was taking place.

"That's fantastic," I said sharply "but I still don't see how that explains your anger."

"Aren't you a smart one." Merlin said, rolling his eyes at my 'idiocy'. "If Arthur thinks that allowing magic led to Aldirret's demise, how willing do you think he'll be to let it into his own kingdom."

"If Arthur is really as fair as everyone claims, he'll see sense."

"I'm sure all of those magical assassination-attempts I've managed to deter will make him so open to the idea." Merlin said sarcastically. "I don't need him exposed to any more of these ideas that magic is evil."

"Dettie and Ela are counting on me to help save Aldirret. If Arthur needs to know what happened in order to help, I will make sure he does. I care about our gifts, Merlin. I do. But Arthur won't be forced to make such a decision for a while. Ela and Dettie, on the other hand, are taking priority. Their situation is immediate. I won't let these people go unpunished."

Merlin stood back, raising his arms in surrender after my impassioned speech. "Just be careful how you word things, Alaïs." He said. I nodded curtly and backed away, leaving to prepare Ela and Dettie for bed.

After Dettie had fallen asleep (I always envied her ability to sleep on command) Ela and I talked.

"I'm lost, Alaïs." She said. "All my life, I knew what my future would be. I'd grow up, marry, and be queen of Aldirret. At the age of six I was already brainstorming ways I'd improve the kingdom. But now, with Aldirret gone, I'm not a princess, not a queen, not anything. I just _am_ and that is odd for me. Even if we did manage to rebuild Aldirret, I have nothing. I didn't even get to say goodbye to my parents and it's all because I wanted my stupid hair to look perfect. My _hair, _ Alaïs. It's sickening."

I started to stroke her hair like mother used to do for me, but realized just in time that it may have the opposite effect from the one I was going for. I started instead to rub her shoulder. "Sleep, Ela." I said soothingly.

"Help me." She said. I knew what she meant right away.

"I can't, Ela. You know that." I protested.

"No one's here to see you." Ela pointed out. "Please, Alaïs. Help me to sleep."

I bit my lip and closed my eyes, trying to fight off the need to help her. I saw it in her eyes, she'd never get to sleep otherwise. I took a deep breath and felt the power rush through me as I slowly helped Ela lay back onto the pillow. I knew when I left that Ela would awake rested the next day. After a dreamless sleep, she'd hopefully start to feel like herself: a brave, confident, unstoppable, tenacious force.

I made my way back to the tower where Merlin and I were to stay. It seemed much slower, much harder, and much longer than it really was since I was so drained. It was late, and I'd barely slept for days. I needed to allow my mind to process the occurrences, and I knew that would only happen during rest.

Merlin was waiting for me when I got back to the room.

"I got these, if you need them." He said, holding out two extra blankets. "It gets cold during the night, and you might need them.

"Thank you, Merlin." I said, grateful for anything that had anything remotely pertaining to sleep. I took the bed when he offered it as well, though I did feel a twinge of guilt for kicking him out of his own bed. It didn't seem to matter, though, because Merlin made himself a nest of sorts on the floor and fell quickly asleep with a content look on his face. It took a while for me, but I eventually drifted off as well.


End file.
